Financial Aid Process

Financial Aid Eligibility

To be considered for federal and state financial aid, you must meet the general eligibility criteria:

• Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States
• Have earned a high school diploma, GED or HSED certificate
• Have been admitted to UW-Platteville as a degree-seeking student
• Demonstrate financial need (except for Federal Unsubsidized Direct, Parent PLUS, or Alternative loans)
• Have a valid social security number
• Be current (not in default) on any educational loans, and not owe a repayment on any federal grant
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress once in school in accordance with federal regulations
• Most aid programs enroll in at least six credits per semester for undergraduate students, and five credits for graduate students

Attending more than one institution? Consortium agreements combine credits together for your aid award. Learn more about consortium agreements.

Financial Aid Application Process

Filling out the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) is your first step in applying for aid. State government aid and some UW-Platteville aid are also awarded based on your FAFSA information, so you should apply even if you believe you don’t qualify for aid.

Filling Out the FAFSA

• The 2025-2026 FAFSA is available at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.
• The first time you complete a FAFSA, it should take approximately 30 minutes or less.
• The FAFSA for the 2024-2025 year will use income information from the 2022 tax year.
• The FAFSA for the 2025-2026 year will use income information from the 2023 tax year.
• Students and parents will need their own FSA ID’s and passwords. The student and parent must use separate email addresses and separate security questions to create their ID.
• You will need income information for both the student and parent.
• When completing the FAFSA, you will be asked to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. We strongly recommend that you use this tool to automatically import your income information into the FAFSA.
• The UW-Platteville and UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County federal school code is 003921.
• The priority date for filing the FAFSA February 1.
• You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Federal Processor after the FAFSA is filed. Review the SAR for accuracy and make any necessary corrections directly on-line.

For assistance with the FAFSA please reach out to our office by email at finaid@uwplatt.edu or phone 608.342.1836. Detailed instructions are also available within the FAFSA itself or by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 (use 1-800-647-8733 if hearing impaired).

Next Steps

Watch for email from the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office directing you to your PASS account.

• If any additional information is needed, you will find a To Do item in PASS. When your To Do List is clear and complete the next email you will receive from us will be an award notification advising you that your financial aid offer is ready to view in your PASS account. The email will have links to terms and conditions, and an award guide which explains the type of aid in detail.
• New freshmen will be notified of their award package in late-January. Notifications will be sent to the email address on the admissions application until a student's UW-Platteville email is activated.
• Returning students will be notified of their award package in late-May after final grades have posted.

Review your financial aid award notification for accuracy.

• Accept or decline your awards through your PASS account. Grants and scholarships are accepted on your behalf, but you must actively accept loans to receive them.
• If you accept loans, your To Do List will update with additional requirements. Make sure you are monitoring your email and PASS To Do List regularly.

Work Study Funds

Federal Work Study is a federally funded, need-based program, which gives you the opportunity to work on or off-campus part-time. You can earn money to supplement your education while gaining meaningful work experience. You will need to obtain a job that is work-study eligible via Handshake. Keep in mind that the funds will never disburse towards your bill, you will earn the funds by working and receiving a paycheck.

FAFSA Verification Process

Each time you file a FAFSA form, you may be randomly selected for a process called verification. If selected for verification, the Financial Aid Office must request certain documents from you in order to verify the information that you supplied in the FAFSA is correct.

Items needed for verification will appear on your PASS account To Do List. If your financial aid award is completed prior to your file being verified, the award may change if any of the FAFSA information had to be corrected. Go to Forms and Applications to find the requested verification form(s) for your award year.

Be sure to check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

Distance/Online

Students in distance education courses are required to demonstrate attendance in courses in order to be eligible for aid. Logging into a course is not considered attendance. Students must submit an assignment by the 10th day of each course or risk losing aid eligibility.

Graduate Students

In order to receive financial aid, graduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of 5 credits (half-time). 

The graduate student credit load for financial aid is defined as:

• Full-time: 9 or more credits
• Half-time: 5-8 credits
• Less than half-time: 1-4 credits

If you are taking both graduate and undergraduate courses, please contact Financial Aid and Scholarships to determine which courses are eligible to receive aid. Aid packages will initially be based only on graduate courses.

Aid available to graduate students:

• Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan
• Graduate PLUS Loan
• Federal Work Study
• Military Education Benefits